“Smack Brawl XLIV: Round 2

After looking at the might of the Chaos team we would be facing the first thing we did was cut and hire some new linerats to bolster our numbers to 14 strong. Since we would also be missing our leaping, cage-breaking gutter runner Martavis, due to an injury suffered during Round 1, we decided to spend 160k worth of our 310k inducements on star player Skitter Stab-Stab, with the hope that Skitter would be able to make a difference. With the remaining 150k we purchased a wizard, and with that we set out for the pitch, ready to make so rat-magic happen.


First Half

We won the kick-off and elected to kick, setting up in a condensed formation, with the Chaos team setting up a wide screen to prevent any Skavens sneaking into their backfield. The kick went up, and we had a Blood Bowl match underway. The Chaos team immediately began inflicting injuries upon the Stealers, all while making sure not to advance the ball to within our grasp. Rather than stand around and be pummeled, most of the Skaven decided to make a strategic retreat. The chaos team advanced forward to midfield and marked each of our retreating players, getting ready to inflict more casualties. With a consorted team effort their CPOMB Beastman Arne was blitzed down and then fouled, being removed from the match thanks to a well-placed kick from Lawrence Timmons. The ref did catch the foul, and Timmons was set off to watch the rest of the match from the dugout. The Chaos team answered back by knocking out a few more rats and then passing the ball to an awaiting chaos warrior and electing to score early rather than stalling. This play caught the entire Skaven side by surprise, as well as all of the Skaven fans in attendance. The look of puzzlement on the coach of the Stealers face must have been visible from the other end of the pitch, as a shout of “No sense stalling against a one-turner!” came from the opposing dugout. With that question answered it was time to head back out to the pitch.

Still playing 11-on-11, the Chaos team set up again in a screen formation while we elected for a “less physical” offensive setup to counter the direction in which the match was heading. The kick came in deep and was blown out of the endzone, scoring a touchback. The ball was given to ace thrower Ben, and we being our drive. We first dropped back, causing the Chaos players to enter into our side of the pitch before breaking out along the sideline with our gutter runners, and most importantly, the ball. Mush to our dismay star-studded Beastman Guard Pelle got up and leveled a fatal blitz against Blitzer Brett Kiesel. This also placed Pelle adjacent to Antonio Brown, who was currently holding the ball. The rest of the Chaos team came funneling in, surrounding the Skavens against the sideline. Ben stepped in and blitzed Pelle down, as the rest of the Stealers moved into better position, while Antonio took the ball and skipped merrily between the sideline and a chaos warrior and came to rest standing on the goal line. In their fury the Chaos team knocked another rat unconscious, but they could not stop the tying score, as Antonio Brown walked in the equalizer.

However, there was still enough time for the Chaos team to once again take the lead, and we set up deep just to prevent such an occurrence. Their Beastmen came forward and formed a cage just inside scoring distance, and the ball came to rest dead center of the cage. A swelling sound began, and quickly filled the stadium, and as the spectators looked around in confusion, one lone spectator screamed in excitement and pointed at the Stealer’s dugout. From just outside the stairs to the dugout stood a wizard, and said wizard was casting a spell. With a final deafening roar a fireball arced across the pitch and came crashing down into the Beastman cage. Three of the five players of that cage were now lying upon the ground, and the ball carrier was exposed. As fate would have it, the ball carrier was none other than Pelle. It was time to extract our revenge. We surrounded the cage, blocking off possible route to the endzone, and sent Skitter Stab Stab in to introduce Pelle to his knife. Like a butter knife glancing off of a Deathroller, Pelle stood there unfazed, and somehow managed to dodge away and hand off the ball to an awaiting Beastman who sprinted in the go ahead touchdown.

We had one last shot, as or opponents set up deep, and kicked the ball equally deep. We got the ball back into Antonio’s hands and sent him racing for the endzone, but he tripped attempting to make it past the screen, closing the first half 2-1 Chaos.


Second Half

The second half started much like our turn receiving the ball during the first half: a screen of Chaos players and a cautious set up by the Skavens. Much like the first half, we began suffering injuries to our players. But even more like the first half, we attempted that same draw-you-in-and-sneak-past-you play, and it sort of worked, except for the part when we became surrounded, with Pelle blocking our advance. Looking for redemption, Skitter stabbed a Beastman to clear a path into the Chaos backfield. Again, his stab was deflected by the Beastman’s armor. So we instead chose to back up ever so slightly. Two more rats were removed from the match, and Antonio was pinned against the sideline by a Beastman while holding the ball. What the Chaos had not seen is that in their effort to box in the gutter runners and the ball, they had left Skitter Stab Stab standing at midfield. Antonio dodged back, handed the ball to Skitter, and then watched as Skitter dodged away towards the goal line. After a Chaos block gone wrong we channeled additional momentum into securing Skitter with the ball, hoping to run down the clock, hoping to take this match into overtime. But somehow Pelle did it again, this time knocking Skitter down and setting the ball loose. Every available chaos player converged upon the site and surrounded the ball and every rat it sight. Blitzer Heath Miller, with the assist of several of his teammates, laid a punishing hit on a chaos warrior, pushing the downed warrior onto the ball, causing the ball to bounce into the awaiting hands of Skitter Stab Stab, which would have been nice, had the bounce and inbound ball not caught Skitter by complete surprise. So as Skitter stood there gloating about his unexpected catch that very same chaos warrior stood up and with one might swing, knocked Skitter unconscious. The ball once again came to rest unclaimed along the sideline. Now truly the rest of the Chaos team had surrounded the Skavens, marking all players and the ball. For fun, Pelle decided to thank Heath our Blitzer for his previous block with a block of his own, killing Heath in the process. The apothecary was called in to see if anything could be done, but the rat doctor took one look at Heath and walked back to the dugout. Surrounded, outnumbered, and with no way to get to the ball. This was how the match was going to end. Or that is how it might had ended, had it not been for James Harrison’s decision to throw a block(-2d) against that same chaos warrior Antonio had schooled in the first half of the match. The block was unexpected, causing the chaos warrior to stumble backwards, and into the ball, knocking the ball out of bounds, after which the crowd threw it back into play on the Skaven side of the pitch. With a double dodge out of coverage, Troy race over and collected the loose ball before returning forward and tossing the ball into the arms of Antonio who made the catch under cover. With a hotdog double dodge of his own Antonio was in the endzone and we once again had a tied game.

The cost of the touchdown, however, was great, as we were now only fielding seven players against the Chaos team still at full strength. Having a lot of area to cover, and not many bodies to fill said area, we know we would have to pull out all of the stops to prevent the same situation from occurring again, in which the Chaos team broke away for quick touchdown to take the lead. To assist, our head coach had “acquired” a copy of the Chaos team’s playbook, and having advised us of the impending play calls the defense quickly shifted during the kick, with gutter runner Dri Archer standing low, waiting to make a dash after the ball. The kick came in deep and came to rest in the endzone. Dri stood salivating, seeing his opportunity. Another Beastman cage was set up in the Skaven half, as two additional Stealers were injured. A monster Beastman ball carrier retrieved the ball, and stood there, just outside of the endzone. Unable to resist the bait, Dri attempted to blitz the Beastman ball carrier(-2d) but only pushed him up into the back of the endzone (POW/PUSH, POW, defender had Dodge). And with the closing seconds of the half ticking away the Chaos team began the most amazing series of chain pushes to get a Beastman free to receive a pass from the ball carrier, before rushing to hand off the ball to Pelle. It was a spectacular play. As Pelle ran in the winning touchdown, uncontested, he began thinking about all of his achievements for today’s match: two deaths, and now about to score the winning point. He smiled and thought of how he should spend his winning after the match, and it was that very thought he was pondering when her tripped over his own foot while crossing the goal line, falling upon the ball, and gouging his eye upon one of the ball’s many spikes. This performance was met by thunderous laughter from the Skaven fans in attendance. The apothecary was call forward to look at Pelle’s injured eye, but in the process, fell atop Pelle, seriously injuring his back. With some rest and some heat the back injury shall heal, but Pelle would not be returning to today’s match and looks (haha) to be missing the following. As the apothecary for the Chaos team left the pitch the sounds of an excess amount of gold coins jangling in his pockets could be heard. Looks like we were heading into Overtime.


Overtime

We again won the coin toss, and elected to receive. Facing a Chaos team at full strength, with only six Skaven taking the field, odds were looking rather dismal. But thankfully three of the players were our core of gutter runners, so there was still a chance that a something could happen. A full screen of players would prevent any attempt at a one-turn touchdown off of the line of scrimmage, but we set up that way anyway. The kick came down just outside of the endzone, and three gutter runners dropped back to retrieve the ball. Troy chose that very instance to bumble the pickup. The Chaos team simply ran forward, knocking another rat out of play, and tried to get a hand on either a gutter runner or the loose ball. In their fervor a Beastman stumbled and fell over, allowing enough space for Ben to dodge away from the surrounding chaos warriors and blitz a defending Beastman. This created an opening for a lane towards the Chaos backfield, now with only a single Beastman which would have to be dodged past. Troy successfully picked up the ball (this time) and handed it off to Antonio, who once again, shaked and baked past the defender (Dodge rolls: 5, 4, 6) and sprinted (Three 2’s) to a stop within scoring distance, but not far enough to be out of blitzing range of one last Beastman. That was wen Camera Man, our fabled Kick-rat, dodged out from under triple coverage (Dodge rolls:1, Reroll, 6, 6) and came to rest in front of said Beastman. One final Beastman made an attempt to mark Antonio, but he tripped and fell, knocking himself unconscious. Antonio ran the remaining distance and crossed into the endzone for the victory.


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Much respect due to coach Tricktickler, as he and his team were fierce opponents. What this match came down to was some sneaky rat tactics, and the power of AG4. The cost of this match has us at a severe disadvantage, as we are now short on both gold and players, heading into the final match of the tournament against a 2010TV Chaos Dwarf team. Will this be where our luck runs out?
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